And so the carousel spins, round and round we go, honestly no closer to an answer than four years ago when Mike Freimuth suggested that the bandages needed to keep the building functional would soon turn the XL Center into the New Haven Coliseum.

Thus giving the state’s major cities two notable parking lots.

Freimuth, the straight shooting executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, continues to be Sisyphus, pushing and pushing and pushing with no real glimpse at the apex.

The CRDA’s newest proposal for renovating the old barn — quite creative — downsizes the project from $250 million to $100 million, eliminating the upper concourse and focusing on a 12,000-seat arena with revenue-boosting amenities. Suites, loges, more seats closer to the arena floor and “informal gathering spaces.”

It is unclear how much more revenue the new seating structure would generate. The evidence, however, may exist within the XL Center’s current flow. Its primary “informal gathering space,” the “FanClub,” created two years ago as part of the building’s nominal facelift, has been a success.

The “FanClub” is a bar/lounge area, complete with food and drink options and the ability to watch the game live or on several television monitors. It’s open to everyone with a ticket for no additional charge. Translation: It’s there for the people. It’s always crowded.

“Previously, we had two concession stands there,” Freimuth said when the FanClub was in its infancy. “They performed so poorly that we did not even open them except for full houses. Today, the FanClub performs at a multiple of four times the previous revenue from that area and shows us that we can earn more dollars in the building.”

Common sense suggests that a modernized building, combined with the promise of UConn men’s basketball under Dan Hurley, gives us reason to invest, lest the Grande Dame crumble its way into irrelevance.

And this is where the wheels spin furiously, but with no traction.

Lawmakers — or perhaps not enough of them — honestly believe the building is in peril and can’t justify money for its renovation given the state’s budget misery. Hence, they skip skepticism and go straight to cynicism at any hint of a new proposal. Perhaps CRDA, which oversees the building, should start practicing benign neglect and let the pipes leak to send a clearer message.

Paradise can be paved to put up a parking lot, as Joni Mitchell reminded us once. Another lyric to that song: “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”

Now comes news that Ned Lamont may or may not be supportive of the $100 million proposal because of scars remaining from the outgoing administration’s monetary bailout of Hartford. The Courant reported that Lamont “won the governor’s race with heavy support from the state’s largest cities, and leaders in some of those cities are still smarting from the Hartford bailout.”

“It’s going to be a big ask,” Gov. Malloy’s budget chief, Ben Barnes, told the Courant. “Obviously, the assistance we’ve provided to Hartford, I think, lingers in the political environment and there may be some resentment. People in other cities may feel as it is inappropriate to do another big (project) in Hartford.”

Understandable, except for the flawed premise. The XL Center is located in Hartford, but is hardly Hartford-centric. The renovated XL Center benefits all state residents, who would watch UConn, concerts and other attractions. And so while Hartford’s bailout may have chafed a few leaders in other cities, we must understand that the XL Center is an “us” and not “them” project.

UConn should waving the flag for this as well. Gampel Pavilion isn’t exactly a paragon of modernity either. Wireless last worked in there … never. Plus, look around the dreaded American Athletic Conference and see that Tulane, SMU, Houston and Cincinnati have all renovated their on-campus buildings since 2012. A newer XL Center would give Hurley another recruiting tool.

It is entirely understandable for lawmakers to cite more pressing concerns than $100 million for the XL Center. Totally get it. But they also need to understand that the Grande Dame is on about the 16th green and won’t be viable too much longer. The CRDA just cut $150 million off the price tag and found a creative way to modernize the building. That’s called meeting in the middle.

So can lawmakers come to the table to discuss earnestly this time?

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro